Le Griffon (The Griffon), Phantom Ship on Lake Michigan near Washington Island - Green Bay, Wisconsinv

In 1679 French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle constructed one of the first full sized sailing ships to sail The Great Lakes, Le Griffon.  This distinction would be short lived as on her return trip during her maiden voyage, Le Griffon disappeared never to be seen again.  According to many eyewitnesses over the centuries however, this doomed ship still sails the waters of Green Bay.

Drawing of the Le Griffon which embarked on it's maiden voyage on The Great Lakes, never to be seen again

Le Griffon departed the Niagara River and made way for Green Bay, sailing waters never before attempted in a vessel of this type.  The waters of The Great Lakes had only previously been navigated by canoe.  The local Native Americans warned La Salle and his crew that the ship was doomed, but they did not heed their warnings. 

At one point in the trek northwest, Le Griffon had to drop anchor and wait for favorable winds to continue their journey, at which point La Salle sent a party ahead by canoe to prepare for the ship's arrival in Green Bay. Finally the winds came and after making a long arduous journey and successfully navigating through the Straits of Mackinac, La Salle and his crew reached Washington Island in Green Bay.  They were greeted by local Natives and the advance party he sent ahead who gathered over six tons of fur to be loaded for the journey back to Niagrara.

Before the ship departed, La Salle had decided to stay behind so that he may return with another party by canoe and explore the lake shores for a passage to the Mississippi River.  He sent the Le Griffon on with instructions for the remaining six man crew.  Le Griffon and her crew were never seen again.

Spirits of Summerwind Mansion - West Bay Lake at Land O' Lakes, Wisconsin

In 1916 Robert Lamont purchased a lodge on West Bay Lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin.  The lodge was built in the 1800s to house those who went on fishing excursions onto the lake.  Lamont however, had other plans.  He embarked on a project to extensively remodel and expand the lodge and two years later the former fishing lodge became known as Lamont Mansion, a summer home for Robert Lamont and his family.  And over a century later it would be known by another name, Summerwind, the most haunted place in Wisconsin as it was plagued by a series of troubles over its lifetime.

Summerwind Mansion before it burned to the ground in 1988.  Photo courtesy Todd Roll @  http://www.wprs.net/stories/vilas/summer.html

Legend has it that in the 1800s a man named Jonathan Carver, a British explorer claimed that he was deeded the rights not only to the land the Lamont Mansion was now located on, but to the northern third of Wisconsin. The deed was supposedly given to him by a tribe of Sioux that had lived there. The deed had been placed in a box and placed into the foundation of what was now the Lamont Mansion.  However, Carver could never find the deed.  He eventually died having never found the documentation that would prove his rights to the land he was given.

West Bay Lake in Land o Lakes Wisconsin

After Robert Lamont moved into his newly remodeled mansion, his housekeepers would tell him that the home was haunted.  Lamont would dismiss their complaints claiming there were no such things as ghosts.  This went on for the fifteen years that the Lamont's lived in the summer home until one day in the 1930s, Robert and his wife were in the kitchen.  Apparently, the door to the basement began to rumble and make noise then started shaking violently as if someone were trying to get out.  It then burst open and there emerging from the basement was the apparition of a man.  In a panic, Robert Lamont grabbed his pistol and opened fire on the phantom having no results but leaving holes in the basement door.  Lamont and his wife fled the mansion never to return.

In the early 1940s, the mansion was sold to the Keefer family and it was then it took on it's new name, Summerwind Mansion. A short while later Mr. Keefer died and his wife then subdivided the property and sold it.  The mansion itself changed hands several times, but financial difficulties would always ensue and it would end up back in the possession of Mrs. Keefer.

A dilapidated Summerwind Mansion before it was destroyed by lightening

Summerwind was bought by Arnold Hinshaw in the 1970s, he moved in with his wife Ginger and their children.  From the start both Arnold and Ginger as well as their children noticed events that were out of the ordinary and had witnessed shadow figures in the hallways of the home.  They would hear disembodied voices frequently in empty rooms which would disappear as soon as they would enter.  An actual full bodied apparition of a woman was seen occasionally in the dining room as well.  On one occasion, Arnold was leaving for work and as he was walking out to his car it randomly exploded!  What topped things off was when they were painting one of the rooms and discovered a secret panel behind a set of built-in drawers.  Too large to fit into the space, they sent their daughter into the crawl space to investigate and shortly after she let out a terrifying scream.  She had discovered the remains of a human body!  Strangely enough, the Hinshaw's were so worked up they did not even notify authorities nor make any attempt to have the body removed.  

The foundation of Summerwind is part of all that remains of the once grand mansion

It was after this that Arnold began to go mad.  He would stay up all hours of the night playing his organ that he enjoyed playing in his free time.  His playing soon became dark and ominous as he would pound on the keys.  His family pleaded with him to stop, however he claimed that voices in his head demanded that he play.  Eventually Ginger had him committed to an asylum for treatment and moved back in with her parents.  The Hinshaws lived in Summerwind for a grand total of six months.

Shortly afterward, Ginger's father Raymond Bober, knowing of the haunted history of Summerwind, planned to buy the mansion and turn it into an inn and restaurant.  Ginger protested this plan, but never told him of the body that was hidden in the mansion.  Bober went through with his plan and bought the mansion.  Ginger, having divorced her husband Arnold, visited the inside of the mansion with her new husband.   He investigated the space where the body was discovered previously and to their surprise, it was no longer there!  

The remains of Summerwind mansion are now enveloped by the pines the once surrounded it

During his time at Summerwind, Bober claimed to have communicated with the main spirit haunting the place.  Raymond revealed that the spirit was Jonathan Carver and that it was unhappy because he never found the deeds he was looking for.  Bober himself spend many hours in the basement and around the foundation of the house looking for Carver's missing deed.  In the meantime, the conversion of the mansion to a restaurant did not go as smoothly as planned as the workmen refused to spend any length of time at the site due to its haunted nature as they themselves experienced strange happenings.  

The foundation and chimneys are all that remains of Summerwind Mansion

Bober had to give up on turning the mansion into a restaurant and finally sold Summerwind in 1986, two years later the mansion was struck by lightening and burned to the ground.  However, many believe that as long as the foundation of the once grand structure is still in place and the missing deeds go unfounded, the ghosts of Summerwind will forever haunt the grounds where it once stood.

An American Werewolf in Wisconsin - The Beast of Bray Road - Elkhorn, Wisconsin

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, something strange was seen lurking along the roads near Elkhorn, Wisconsin.  Bray Road to be exact, which has since lent its name to the half wolf/half man beast that has been spotted.  It has become known as The Beast of Bray Road.  Although some believe this is just a ghostly tale of a demon that haunts the remote areas of the mid west, many believe that this creature is a werewolf of sorts that is a real animal.

Some believe The Beast of Bray Road is a myth or ghost story made up to scare people, others believe it is a real werewolf like animal

Most people who have seen the beast claim that they stumbled upon it while it was feeding along a road.  It had all of the features of a wolf, fur, pointed ears, claws, snout with fangs, yet it was kneeling or crouching just like a man would and could stand on its hind legs to a height of 6 ft, most unlike a wolf.  Some believe this to be a "bigfoot" type creature seen in other parts of Wisconsin nicknamed the "Bluff Monster", however witnesses say that the features of this creature were too dog like to be that of an ape.  Area resident Linda Godfrey was a skeptic at first, but then became a believer and went on to become the author of the book titled, "The Beast of Bray Road: Tailing Wisconsin's Werewolf".

Sightings of stange creatures like this are not uncommon in other parts of the country.  In the south western United States and parts of Latin America there is the tale of the Chupacabra.  In the eastern United States the New Jersey Devil haunts the hills of several states.


Although a rash of sightings occurred in the early 1990s, some say reports of this wolf-like creature have been seen as early as the 1930s. A night watchman at convent described seeing a creature that closely matches the descriptions of the Beast of Bray Road. Reports since the 1990s have been few and far between.  There have also been sightings of a similar creature in other nearby states such as Michigan.  This is not uncommon for animals to seem to have disappeared then reappear.  The timber wolf all but disappeared from areas of the north east, but have recently been seen more and more. Perhaps the beast moved on to new territory or it may have just become more elusive and still be walking among us today!